Student Employment Handbook - Employee Types

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Federal Work-Study and University Funded Students

University Funded Student Employees

Employing departmental budgets are charged 100% of the wages for all University Funded student employees.

Federal Work-Study Funded Student Employees

Students who are employed under the FWS program are awarded FWS by the Student Financial Aid Office (SFAO) as part of their total financial aid package. This federal program pays 75% of the student's wage, while the employing department pays 25%. Students earning FWS funds may ONLY be paid on a hourly basis and can be employed on campus or off-campus through approved community service programs.

FWS Eligibility & Employment Requirements
FWS is available to both undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate financial need. To be considered for FWS, a student must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and answer "yes" to the question: "Are you interested in being considered for work-study?" The FAFSA is available online at www.fafsa.gov. Since FWS funds are limited, students should complete the FAFSA according to the SFAO Financial Aid Timeline.

» As a FWS recipient, students must meet the credit hour enrollment requirement and maintain satisfactory academic progress. Federal regulations mandate that no exceptions be made regarding the minimum credit hour enrollment requirement.

» Students may work in a FWS AND University Funded position at the same time. Students may also work in more than one FWS position at a time, but should monitor earnings so that they know when they are nearing their FWS award limit.

FWS Earnings Limit
To determine if a student has been awarded FWS, the student must access their account in FlashLine via the Student / Finances page. Under the Financial Aid heading, the student must click on the Financial Aid Awards link. The student must then click Financial Aid Awards and under Award Year, select the appropriate award year form the drop-down menu and Submit. The student can click on Award Overview to view if the FWS award exists. A student that cannot view a FWS award and would like to check on the possibility of being awarded FWS should contact the Student Financial Aid Office at 330-672-6000.

The SFAO monitors the earnings of each FWS student employee for each employment period to ensure that FWS wages earned are consistent with those permitted under the provisions of Federal regulations. Students receiving FWS are required to record hours worked on a paper or online timecard. The SFAO will indicate to Career Exploration and Development when a student's earnings have reached the FWS award amount, and Career Exploration and Development will alert the employing department. The student's wages will be paid from University Funding unless Career Exploration and Development is notified by the employing department, in writing, that they wish to terminate the student's employment.

Students should monitor their earnings with each paycheck so they will know when their earnings limit is approaching. FWS money is received as it is earned through a paycheck and it is not applied directly towards the tuition bill.

Adjustment of FWS Award Amounts
The SFAO may be able to adjust a FWS award amount if a student has an "unmet financial need" and funding is available. If a student falls below half-time enrollment or receives additional financial aid which changes his/her total financial aid eligibility, student's employment may be terminated, or the FWS award amount reduced. If a change in FWS occurs, the SFAO will notify Career Exploration and Development in writing. Career Exploration and Development will then contact the employing department regarding whether it is possible to pay the student with 100% University Funding.

High School Students

The employment of high school students provides work experience to potential Kent State students and employment for particular groups of high school students, including students with disabilities. Departments are also able to fill positions where KSU student candidates have not been found or little interest has been generated among the college student population.

High school students employed by Kent State University are not required to meet thecredit-hour enrollment requirement. High school students enrolled at Kent State through theCollege Credit Plus (CCP)program, as well as high school students who are NOT enrolled at KSU can NOT be hired through CampusWorks and should visit Career Exploration and Development to complete employment paperwork after the hiring department provides them with aStudent Employment Hiring Form.

All high school students under the age of 18 seeking employment during the academic year must obtain an original Age and Schooling Certificate furnished by either the high school or the Board of Education of the student's school district. Students under the age of 16 must also secure this document for summer employment.

The Application for Minor Work Permit must be signed by the high school student's initial on-campus employer in order to obtain an Age and Schooling Certificate. The Age and Schooling Certificate must be presented to Career Exploration and Development in order to establish permission to work as a high school student. The student will then be required to complete additional State and Federal forms required to establish eligibility to work on campus.

International Students

Work Hour Limits

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has limited part-time employment for international students to no more than 20 hours per week during the semester. Allowing an international student to work more than 20 hours per week could have serious implications for the student and the University. International students may work up to the 28-hour work week limit when classes are not in session (winter and spring breaks) and during the summer.

International Students Without a Social Security Number

The Social Security Administration requires an international student without a social security number to prove he or she has obtained an on-campus position, and show evidence of that employment, or a Social Security number will not be issued. Consequently, departments planning to employ these students MUST TAKE THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

On-campus employers may interview and offer employment to international students without a social security number, but MAY NOT allow the student to begin work until they have completed the required employment eligibility forms through Career Exploration and Development.

Once supervisors have identified an international student for employment, they must complete Section I of the Social Security Employment Verification Form and Offer of Student Employment Form. Both forms are located in the Forms Library. Students will then take the Social Security Verification Form to the Office of Global Educationfor the completion of next steps. We suggest supervisors retain a copy of the form until the student has been hired. Students will electronically sign the Offer of Student Employment Form via DocuSign.

The Office of Global Education will complete the Social Security Employment Verification Form. Students will then take the completed Social Security Employment Verification form to the Social Security Administration Office in Ravenna (444 Enterprise Parkway, Ravenna, Ohio) to apply for a Social Security number.

Once the student applys for a social security number, they will then visit Career Exploration and Development (MSC 104/261- See signs) to complete the remaining employment forms. Paperwork can be completed Monday-Friday, 9am-Noon and 1-4pm.

Before the student comes to Student Employment, they should:

Sign the electronic Offer of Student Employment Position Form

Log into CampusWorks at: https://campusworks.kent.edu, with their FlashLine username and password, click the “Accept” button to sign the Student Employment Certification Statement

Once the employment paperwork is completed, the supervisor will offer the position through CampusWorks. A Confirmation email will be received when all requirements are met and the student may begin work.

After the student begins work, they must call to schedule an appointment with the Payroll Office at 330-672-8640 236 MSC) to finalize the employment process. They will need to present the following: 1) I-20 or DS-2019, 2) I-94, 3) Passport/Visa, and 4) Social Security Card (if received).